Until this pregnancy.
Ho. Ly. Crap. I have a horrible chest cold right now, which makes probably the fifth or sixth time I've gotten seriously, miserably ill in the past 21 weeks. I know that pregnancy is a natural time of immune suppression, so that your body doesn't recognize the fetus as a parasitic attacker and terminate. But sakes alive, I did not have this problem in my first pregnancy. Perhaps having a toddler wiping her snot on your face and sticking her fingers in your mouth all day is not helping anything. I've had a couple of the worst stomach viruses I've gotten in recent memory, a few colds including this one, and get this: I used to have tiny seed warts on my hands as a little girl. About ten years ago, they just went away. I think my immune system sent the virus into hiding. Guess what? Since I've been pregnant this time, they're back! It's the weirdest thing. I will get a sore spot on a finger or my palm where a wart is popping up. I will start to feel the raised spot, and then in a few days it will go away. My body is really getting a run for its money right now.
So, what's a gal to do?
One of my strategies is to eat something fermented, and preferably raw, with every meal. My go-tos are: yogurt (homemade, or Stonyfield Farms or Cascade Fresh if not).
Sauerkraut (haven't done homemade in ages, but I love Bubbie's).
Kombucha (time to culture a new mother! I let it go at the beginning of the pregnancy, but I simply cannot justify the exorbitant cost of storebought kombucha).
And I want to get some kefir grains and start culturing some of our raw milk into kefir!
Supplemental things that can help are:
Elderberry syrup.
What are your dietary and home remedies for boosting your immunity?
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